Johnny tilted his head to one side in thought. “This may be an opportunity for Jane and me to get back in the game. Maybe I could set up a little import-export business between here and Earth.”
Mace replied, “No need. A share of that eighty-nine million credits is yours. We’ll be dividing that among everyone on the Rogers. All of us have earned it. Besides, if you really had your eye on the prize, you’d be setting up a mining operation on Cancri. Diamond is still in big demand.”
Kontin nodded. “Indeed it is. The materials you delivered have all been sold and rushed to market. There was a momentary price collapse, but that has since rebounded. Any more of those diamond materials you bring to me here I can sell back home. Just one of those loads you brought could easily fetch hundreds of millions of credits.”
Johnny was grinning. “And here I thought I was actually going to have to start working for a living. I could build my own little palace. Repair the Gertrude. No… wait… I’ll have my own personal starship built.”
Mace shook his head. “You should make up a list. Whatever it is you want, you’ll have to run by Jane first.”
Johnny frowned. “Thanks for knocking down my fantasy.”
Mace chuckled. “Not like you’re doing anything without her anyway. And I bet she would love the adventure of having a personal spaceship. You could go back to Reddalt IV and try fishing for that sea monster Jeff saw.”
Johnny half winced. “I like the fishing part, and Jane would love the challenge of it being a sea monster. But… we’ve got two kids now and I don’t see her doing anything that might be dangerous.”
Leonis Kontin took the two Humans on an air tour of the mines and farms. In addition, a second spaceport was under construction near one of the larger mines. Despite its history of disaster, the colony of Canto was thriving.
As Mace and Johnny walked onto the bridge of the Rogers, Johnny held up his arms. “You’re all rich! Rich I tell you!”
Liam asked, “And how is that?”
Mace replied, “We bought 24 percent of the Knuttin Corporation with those diamond hauls. In another week or two we’ll be getting our first quarterly dividend. It’s substantial. And even though it’s in my name, I plan on sharing it with the crew. If things continue to go well on Canto, you could all retire there and live like kings.”
Hans Mueller nodded. “I’ve been wondering what we might do when this is all over. This is a bit of good news. Although, what if we want to live on Earth?”
Johnny replied, “Simple. Cash out your account on Canto, purchase commodities and transport them back to Earth for sale there. I don’t think it would be too difficult to ship a few thousand pounds of gold or jewels or whatever else is worth trading for.”
Mace said, “That’s the good news. The bad news is we still need to protect Earth if we want our assets to be worth anything. Can’t spend it if you’re dead or a slave. And on that note, I say we make another trip out to Cancri for diamonds. According to Mr. Kontin, they are still in high demand. And whatever we mine and sell, we split.”
Johnny sat at his console. “Gentlemen, we’re living in exciting times.”
The Rogers lifted through the atmosphere and was soon sliding through a portal to Cancri. After arrival, the ship was taken to an altitude of ten kilometers, where scans for new deposits would be performed.
When the first was complete, Humphrey turned. “Mr. Hardy. I’m only picking up trace amounts.”
Mace nodded. “Mr. Hobbs, move us to a new location. Somewhere that previous scans showed as good.”
Several minutes passed before the Rogers slowed. “Scans are only showing trace deposits, Mr. Hardy.”
Mace sighed. “Take us down for a look at a site we had previously mapped, Mr. Hobbs.”
The Rogers hovered over an enormous hole in the surface of Cancri.
Johnny said, “Looks like someone else has been here.”
Mace scowled. “Mr. Hobbs, circle the globe. Mr. Mallot, scan as we go.”
An hour later the Rogers again came to a stop.
Humphrey shook his head. “Only traces, Mr. Hardy. Someone beat us to it.”
Mace winced. “Jasper’s the only one who’s been here. He wouldn’t have done this.”
A jump to Divinia confirmed. “Nope. Haven’t moved from here. Are you saying they took it all?”
Mace nodded. “All of it. Had to have been a huge operation. There must be a hundred large open pit mines on that planet.”
Johnny said, “That leaves the Hoorka.”
Mace turned. “Mr. Hobbs, want to take us to Hoorka space?”
Liam punched in the coordinates. A wormhole opened and the Rogers quietly slipped through.
Once within the star system of the Hoorka capital, three large ships popped into existence.
A hail came over the comm. “Mr. Hardy, state your business.”
Mace replied, “I have two questions. First, we would like to know the status of Favia. She’s the girl we dropped here after our first visit.”
The captain of the Hoorka warship nodded. “She is being well cared for. Her status as a fourteen thousand year old, and her wealth, has made her somewhat of a celebrity.”
Mace continued: “Good. Now the second question. Have Hoorka ships been to the planet in the Cancri system?”
“They have. The mining ship where you found the girl was recovered. As were the diamonds from her claim. As I said, she is a wealthy individual here on Promexa.”
Mace repeated, “Her claim?”
The captain nodded. “Her family filed the claim fourteen thousand years ago. There was record of it in the data our ancestors brought from Laventor. And I’ll have to say, her generosity and this influx of wealth could not have come at a better time. A substantial payment was made to another species we trade with, forming a protection alliance. Our attackers have seen fit to sign a temporary truce because of this. I suppose I should thank you for bringing her home. This may be our first taste of peace in hundreds of years.”
Mace returned a flat expression. “Thank you, Captain. I’m certain Favia is busy. We’ll check back again at a later date.”
A micro-wormhole to Earth was opened and the Rogers moved through.
Johnny was shaking his head. “Well, how do you like that. They skunked it from us fair and square.”
Mace nodded. “Billions of planets out there. Has to be more with diamonds to mine.”
Mace called Jeff to the bridge. “Doc, what are the chances we find another planet like that?”
“Given the sheer number that are out there, there must be others. I’ll talk with Gnaga about how we might search another one out.”
Mace frowned as the Rogers settled near the cave. “Do that. Until then, we’ll just have to live off our dividends.”
Chapter 19
*
Mace opened a comm with Jasper Collins. “Your Majesty… just checking in on progress. We got the latest shipment of skybuses. Thanks. We have five new terminals opening in the next week, so they’ll be put to immediate use.”
Jasper nodded. “Next shipment should be close to a hundred. Production is nearing full. The building of cargo haulers should be ramping up soon.”
“How goes the fleet?”
“The Organ Cave is coming along nicely. She’s being fitted for environmental now. We expect to be flight testing in two weeks. How goes everything there?”
Mace leaned back in his command chair. “Everything’s peachy. The Rogers is fully operational and fully stocked. The crew is happy. We had two new marriages in the last week. Hans Mueller tied it up with a Ronceverte girl and one of Jordan Crawford’s men got hitched to his prior sweetheart. We’ve lost him as a crewman, but we have a long list of volunteers waiting to join us.
“Community centers continue to see slow migration out to the surrounding areas. Most who have children born from the Mawga fertilizations are sticking close to the centers. Farms and ranching are coming along better than expected.
And we’re seeing the starts of manufacturing. People are busy, which is a good thing. Stark’s government has mostly been settling disputes and not dictating rules.
“Every community center has an elected council that sends recommendations for laws up the command chain. There have been calls for a constitutional convention. Each community center may be sending three elected delegates if it ever gets underway. As always, what comes out of that depends on whether delegates are statesmen or out for their own enrichment. So far it looks promising, although I’ll have to say I envy you and your kingdom.”
Jasper scowled. “It’s a lot more work than I thought. We have the same issues of people squabbling of who gets how much of what. The only good thing about it is I get to make the call if the two sides can’t come to terms. The bad thing is one side goes away mad. I don’t care for governing mad people. They’re unstable.”
Mace tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Any issues with the former Union members?”
Jasper waved a hand. “They’re up to their usual. Unhappy and eager to show it. I’ve gotten word of a new species the Zinka have encountered. Haven’t been able to get any details, which bothers me. When things get quiet, it’s usually because something is being planned.”
Mace nodded. “You still have the Muhatha. How long until the new ships start rolling off the line?”
“By the end of the month we should be at five per week. Within three months that should be at ten per week. I’ve given my teams the goal of having three hundred sixty ships complete and tested by the one year anniversary from when we began. They like being challenged.”
“Has there been any signs of Karthian activity?”
Jasper shook his head. “All quiet. I doubt those nuke ships will be effective for another fight. Their ships are probably all getting heavy shielding applied about now.”
Mace asked, “How will your new fleet stack up for that?”
Jasper smiled. “Well, it seems our gatrellium friend takes care of that for us. These blue hulls make for excellent blockers. The neutron ionization we saw on the Karthian hull hasn’t happened in any of our test labs. And better still, from what we can tell, the initial burst of radiation won’t make it through either. I tell ya, that stuff is a wonder material.”
Mace laughed. “Yeah, you have to wonder where we’re gonna find more.”
“Well what are you doing right now?”
Mace shrugged. “Everyone’s enjoying their time on the planet.”
Jasper scowled. “Well, get you sorry asses in gear and get out there and find us some more gatrellium. The rest of the galaxy is moving forward. Get your team hitched up and pulling that wagon. We can rest when the work’s all done.”
Mace gave a half smile. “I’ll tell them it’s an order from the king.”
Jasper replied, “You do what you gotta. We’ll be needing that material. We’re already a third of the way through processing that rock you found.”
“So you have some gatrellium to send us?”
Jasper shook his head. “Nope. It’s all being prepped as ship coatings. Some of that for your buses. I’ll be replacing whatever we borrow with material from our mines. This is just the most efficient way to do this while maintaining our stockpiles for jumps. As soon as we reach the point of having excess we’ll start sending it along to you. There’s no immediate need for it, is there?”
“No, I guess not. Do what you need to do with it, but keep me informed so I’m not caught off guard by my own expectations.”
Jasper nodded. “Will do.”
The comm closed. Mace sent word to his team that another exploration for gatrellium was in order. Jeff had identified twenty-six target areas for deep scans. Two were close to planets that had a high probability of having diamond. Two hours later, the volunteers were aboard.
Jordan Crawford said, “Looks like we only have crew for two shifts this time. I’d be happy to lead up the second shift. After that we’ll just have to park it for eight hours.”
Mace asked, “We can’t split into three groups? We really only need the minimum on each shift. We’re only conducting exploration here.”
Jordan shook his head. “We’re already at the minimums, Mr. Hardy. Bontu Montak and his men will be filling in. Jeff and Gnaga are staying behind to work in their lab. Mrs. Tretcher is staying with the kids. Hans is with his new wife. People are starting to pick up their lives down here on the planet. If there’s an emergency need, everyone would be here as soon as they could. This isn’t an emergency.”
Mace crossed his arms. “What about other volunteers? I thought we had a growing list of people who wanted to join us.”
Jordan half scowled. “Sorry, Mr. Hardy. That list has evaporated in the last several weeks. With the way things are running out there, everyone wants to establish their bit of business, get their piece of the pie while they can. It’s almost a like a gold rush environment.”
“Hmm. Maybe we limit the profits of any finds to the crew who shows.”
Jordan nodded. “Sounds fair to me. I don’t think you’ll get any arguments.”
Mace sighed. “OK, well, give us an assist at getting things going and then you and your team have eight hours to do whatever you like.”
The Rogers climbed up through the atmosphere. A wormhole was opened and the bright blue ship slipped through. Six planets saw no gatrellium, with the last having modest diamond deposits. Another forty-three were scanned before the first hit showed on the sensor display.
Humphrey said, “It’s a large field, but well dispersed. With the right equipment, maybe five tons are recoverable.”
Mace nodded. “Mark it. Mr. Hobbs, move us to the next target.”
Two additional planets in the system showed similar results. Three diamond prospects followed with little to show. However, a fourth promised a pittance of that which was lost on Cancri.
The scans continued for several weeks. Fourteen tons of mine-able diamonds along with thirty tons of gatrellium were identified. The Rogers made a stop at Divinia before returning to Earth.
Mace and Johnny met Jasper out on a catwalk overlooking his flagship. “She’ll be ready in a couple days. Her initial flight showed a few minor issues. My crew says they got her up to 62 percent light-speed. And being about half the frontal diameter of the Rogers, she uses less gatrellium. The weapons testing returned results that were in line with projections. We also increased the hydrogen store. She can fight, run, and jump for up to a year under normal conditions… whatever those are.”
Mace said, “I look forward to when we can begin our fleet buildout. I love the Rogers, but she’s a bit clunky.”
Johnny agreed. “You ain’t kidding. I relish the day when I can walk the halls without ducking.”
Mace laughed. “There is that.”
Mace asked, “How’s the defense build coming?”
Jasper replied, “Excellent. The factory on Canto has been turning out domain reflectors non-stop for us. We’re working on getting the last two colonies covered by next month.”
Johnny said, “You have full economies in those colonies already. How are they doing?”
Jasper turned around to face Johnny, leaning his elbows back on the rail behind him. “Transformative.”
Johnny chuckled. “Exactly what is that supposed to mean?”
Jasper grinned. “Don’t really know, but I always liked the sound of it. The colonies are all converting over to the same bus system we’re building for Earth. I’ve also directed a team to begin updates to all the factories for efficiency. And I’ve been thinking about contacting the Hoorka to set up a trade deal. For what? I don’t know. I’m sure we’ve got something we could trade.”
Mace leaned forward on the rail. “We identified a few pockets of resources during our excursions. Now the question becomes, how do we mine them? We’re in need of mining equipment.”
Jasper nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that. Would you be amenable to a fifty-fifty split? You fin
d ‘em, I’ll send my people out to collect?”
“My response to that would be why don’t you have your own teams out surveying?”
Jasper took a deep breath. “Because I’m trying to give you a break. I could send out a hundred scout ships tomorrow to do scans if I wanted. I know you need the wealth too. So I’m willing to go halves with you in this venture.”
Johnny said, “That means we need to get back out for more exploring.”
Jasper nodded. “Yep. Might just keep you out of trouble. Besides, what have you been working on back on Earth that’s so important?”
Johnny turned his head. “I’ve been working on weapons… like this sidearm.”
Johnny pulled what he had begun to call his thunder pistol. “This little pup will knock your opponent on his can or send him flying, along with everything else in between. The power-cell gives you about two thousand full power shots. More than enough to storm any ship.”
Jasper asked, “Can I see it?”
Johnny held it out with pride. “Sure.”
Jasper took the thunder pistol, balancing it in his hand. Lightweight.”
Johnny nodded. “We worked hard at keeping the weight down.”
Jasper frowned. “It is kind of fat though.”
With a flip of his wrist the thunder pistol went over the rail. For several seconds it hovered in the gravity-wall that surrounded the catwalk before slipping through into the cold of space.
Johnny was stunned. “What the… why’d you do that?”
Jasper grinned. “Just trying to get a rise out of the ape-man. Relax, I’ll have one of my crew fetch it for you.”
Johnny looked at Mace. “I’m holding back, but that really calls for a beating.”
Jasper scowled. “Don’t be a baby. You’ll get your little toy back.”
As the pistol drifted away, its thermal warmer overloaded, resulting in a bright flash as the power-cell and mini-reactor lost containment.
Johnny’s mouth dropped as his face became angry. “You destroyed my pistol!”
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